Triggerfish Animation Studios has selected four features and four TV series for development from the inaugural Triggerfish Story Lab, established with the support of The Department of Trade and Industry and The Walt Disney Company. Initially, Triggerfish had planned to select three projects for film and TV respectively, but increased this to four for each due to the quality of the projects.

Head of development at Triggerfish, Anthony Silverston, says “We’re excited by the range of stories, that explore everything from contemporary urban to Afro-futuristic worlds.” The selected storytellers include Nnedi Okorafor (pictured), a Nigerian-American World Fantasy Award winning novelist; multi-award-winning Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu; South African YouTube phenomenon Mike Scott, whose music videos for Goldfish have over 12m views; and Lucy Heavens, one of the writers on the breakout South African animation hit Supa Strikas, which is broadcast in 120 countries around the world.

The shortlist was evaluated by an expert panel that included Peter Lord, the British director of international blockbusters like Chicken Run and The Pirates!; Hollywood writers Kiel Murray (Cars) and Jonathan Roberts (The Lion King); and a panel of development executives and Triggerfish’s development team.

The selected storytellers will start the new year with a two-week immersion trip to Disney’s headquarters in Burbank, California, where they will receive mentoring from key studio and television executives.